Acts 7:3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee.
Stephen is on trial for his life. Stephen sees this trial as an opportunity to share the truth of Jesus Christ with the religious leaders of his day. He starts […]
Acts 4:37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles feet.
This passage introduces us to the apostle named Barnabas. Long before Barnabas was known as an apostle, we see one of the first tests that God had for HIM. Long before we see the power of God exhibited in […]
Matthew 5:23-24 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
You have heard that God desires obedience over sacrifice. In this […]
Proverbs 21:3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice.
There are better ways to please the Lord than bringing sacrifices. It is true that we do not offer sacrifices of animals as the Jews did in the Old Testament. However, this verse is still applicable to our lives today. Have […]
Proverbs 12:2 A good man obtaineth favor of the LORD: but a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
One of the best illustrations in the Bible for this passage can be found in the story of Cain and Abel. Cain was a farmer and he brought the fruit of the ground as an offering unto […]
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: and so they went both of them together.
Abraham had been given the ultimate test by God: did he love God enough to do that which was not best in his own interests? Abraham had to wait many years […]
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice when HE voluntarily allowed mankind to nail HIM to the cross so that you might have the option of confessing your sins and drawing closer to God. No one made Christ die […]
Acts 5:19 - 20 But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life.
The religious leaders had arrested Peter and the other apostles for preaching the name of Christ. While the […]
Psalms 76:11 Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God: let all that be round about him bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.
There is only One who ought to be feared and that is the Lord your God. God desires to receive your gift. One gift that you can give to […]
Acts 15:20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
A debate was occurring in Jerusalem as to whether the Gentiles were required to be circumcised before they could be saved. James stood up and used the prophets to back his belief that Gentiles did not need to be circumcised. James then shared that he thought it was best that the Gentiles be told a list of four items that they should no longer do now that they have proclaimed Jesus as their personal savior.
The third item in this list is that the Gentiles should abstain from things that were strangled. The fourth item in this list is that the Gentiles should abstain from blood. During this time in history, there was a practice of killing an animal by strangling it so that its blood did not exit the body. It was considered a delicacy to eat meat that still was saturated with its blood. Nonetheless, eating an animal with its blood was clearly a violation of Mosaic Law. The animal was to be separated from its blood before the Jews were permitted to partake of that meat.
Genesis 22:16-17 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;
After God had stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac on the altar and Abraham had made a sacrifice of the ram, the angel of the Lord returned and spoke with Abraham a second time. The first time the angel only stopped Abraham from making a human sacrifice, but the second time the angel brought a blessing.
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
God told Abraham that he was to sacrifice his only son Isaac upon an altar. Abraham and Isaac were traveling to the location of the sacrifice when Isaac asked Abraham where the sacrifice was. Abraham�s reply reveals the faith of Abraham in that he understood that this sacrifice was a test by God. Abraham could have said that Isaac was the sacrifice or he could have stated that God would provide the sacrifice. However, Abraham stated that a lamb would be provided. This reveals that in Abraham�s heart, he was obeying God, but that he fully expected God to stop the sacrifice and provide a lamb instead.
Genesis 22:1-2 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
What would you do if God told you give back to HIM, something that HE promised you; something that you had waited a long time for; something that you really loved? Abraham had a close relationship with God. Abraham clearly heard the voice of God. Abraham was probably not happy to hear these instructions from God, but Abraham knew that it was vital that he obey God immediately. By faith Abraham obeyed God.
Hebrews 11:17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
The ultimate test by God was put upon HIS servant Abraham. God promised Abraham a son and Abraham was asked to give the son back to God. God had promised, Abraham believed and God received the glory when the promise was fulfilled with Isaac�s birth. Abraham was required to obey God and give back to God that which God had given.
This was Abraham�s trial; it was a trial of obedience. Unfortunately, this story has been turned around and is being used to teach the doctrine of sacrifice. It is often taught that if you really want something from God, you must first be willing to give it up. The problem with this teaching using this story is it does not carefully examine the entire story.
Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his fits: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
The first individual admitted to God�s hall of faith is the second-born son of Adam and Eve. Abel brought an offering unto the Lord of the firstlings of his flock. Able understood who God was and he brought the first of his possessions unto God. God recognized that Able did this by faith and bore witness to the fact that it pleased HIM. Even though Able died as a result of his faith and his sacrifice, his example still speaks to us today about the importance of giving to God by faith the first of our possessions.
